Registered Charity No 802308
ELY CHORAL SOCIETY
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT for the year ended 31 August 2025
Purpose and Trustees
Ely Choral Society is a charity registered with the Charity Commission, registration number 802308.
Its charitable purpose is to advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of, the art and science of music in all its aspects by any means the trustees see fit, including through the presentation of public concerts and recitals. Also to further such charitable purpose or purposes as the trustees in their absolute discretion shall think fit but in particular through the making of grants and donations.
The Society is managed by a committee of Trustees elected from the Society’s membership.
The Trustees who served during the year were:
Jeremy James (Chairman) Angela Major Elizabeth Burton Clarke Brunt Elisabeth Every Roger Young Ruth James Jenny Holloman Virginia Grace
Musical Director: Andrew Parnell
Chair’s Report
The chair’s report is, above all, an opportunity to look back at the last year – our 2024/25 season – to celebrate everything that was good – and to thank those who contributed to making it so good.
Musically, our 2024/25 season was, as Andrew has reminded us, a good and varied year of musicmaking. And, as the Treasurer reported, it was also a good year of surplus-making, with every concert showing a profit (a very rare occurrence). Our finances, as a result, are in very good shape, and it means that we can embark on ambitious projects like paying to hire an orchestra for next term’s performance of Haydn’s Creation.
Over the course of the year, it has been great to see our numbers growing steadily, although with a little concern that nearly all of them have been sopranos and altos. So I repeat the challenge I suggested last year: let’s see if we can recruit a few more tenors and basses.
Looking back over the last year, there are lots of people to thank for their particular contributions.
Our committee must be thanked for their work which includes
-
reviewing past concerts to see what lessons (positive or negative) can be learnt for future concerts;
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planning the practicalities of upcoming concerts and agreeing the budgets for them;
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looking at future plans;
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monitoring our financial position;
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receiving regular reports on Ely Youth Choir which we support.
Our thanks to all the members of the committee. One member isn’t seeking re-election this evening: Lizzie Burton. We are grateful to her for her work on the committee over recent years.
Some particular thank you’s:
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Anna. Anna, as we know, is retiring from her role as librarian. But she isn’t retiring completely, and she has asked to say something about this in the AOB section of this meeting. But even though her retirement might be only partial, we cannot let it go unmarked; and so, Anna, we would like to offer you a little something to express our thanks and to ask you to accept these flowers and this bottle of wine.
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And, of course, our thanks extend to all Anna’s whole team of librarians who, with great efficiency, make sure that we always have the music we need.
There are lots more people to thank.
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Angela, who works so hard on making sure that our concerts are well advertised, both physically and on social media;
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Roger Young, who produces the programmes for our concerts;
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to Ruth James, who looks after the Friends of ECS, who recruits new Friends and who communicates with them all;
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Clarke, who ticks us off in the register every week, and who manages all our communications – lots of them sometimes;
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Lis Every, Jonathan Rogers, Hazel and Clarke and all who are involved in the smooth running of Ely Youth Choir;
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Ginny, who manages our finances with great skill and efficiency;
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people like Lis Every, Gail’s husband Jim, and other friends and family members who look after our refreshments at the Christmas and summer concerts;
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and Roger Hill, who manages our website and also designs our publicity material.
So our thanks to lots of people for their contribution, often unseen in the background, to another great year’s music-making. But great music-making doesn’t happen without a great Musical Director – a Musical Director who presents us with a great variety of music to sing: from Bernstein to Rutter, from Verdi to Broadway, we never get from Andrew anything that could be described as predictable.
So, looking back on all that he’s challenged us with, all that variety he’s presented us with, and all the enjoyment we’ve had, let me end by saying on everyone’s behalf a huge thank you to Andrew.
Financial review
It had been a good year:
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the accounts showed a surplus of £12,602 for the year
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one of the reasons the Central income has increased is because 2 years Gift Aid has been claimed (none claimed previous year)
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Other reasons for this increase include increase in membership fees and numbers. Because of this, it has not been necessary to raise fees this year.
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Every concert made a profit this year including Verdi Requiem in the Cathedral
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our balance sheet shows a total of over £43,000. Our reserves policy is that we should have at least £23,000 in order to cover any emergencies
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Mike Axford has, again, acted as the Independent Examiner of our accounts.
Jeremy James
Chair
YCH RAL CIETY IPICOIAEANO EXPEWtMTURE ACCOUNT fOrth•y•trd. 31 AugLt 2024 31 Auqu•t CENTRALINCOIAE 14,S53 ** 17.022 757 424 Ftptwjs EYC RestTh 1S.473 23M CENTRAL EXPÉWDMIRE Mrq Muw Hire of iuNn Musical Diroth 11,4(A81 17,J301 19201 {8.1421 I2) {3481 122} 12821 1478} lJ,7701 web Admin 1551 12WI I2) {3.) Bink Chwge• EYC. UN••iTryAd EYC Ro&ffithd 114,1531 114,7ty NeT TOTAL 4.857 15.3471 12.e8ts) 49) 616 3,74) 12,8WJI 3.10 12.3211 B,702 10.4 19.3821 (2.LWI 1120) 410 IIETTOTAL E>¥thid(• 429 71 102 1701 125 11SII NET TOT 8UIIPLLWDEFKm F¢Jll TIIEYeAft
SOCIETY IS.4n 114.153) 114. Tri 23 (22,YhJl 11.W) {IX 31 Awwt1024 43 432 11.447 1451Sllblofth•rt XJ t¥drlthii 11th20 Ec2y
| ELY CHORAL SOCIETY | ELY CHORAL SOCIETY | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INCOMEANDEXPENDITUREACCOUNTfortheyearended: | |||||
| € 31August |
20i14 | l.=r.rNcoitE | 31Augu.st 2025 f,€ |
||
| 14,553 | lsro""rlption. | 17,022 | |||
| :* | lrrienos lGifrAid |
757 5,424 |
|||
| lDonations | |||||
| 't90 | Itnterest received | 297 | |||
| IEYC: unrestricted | 60 | ||||
| 15,473 | levc,notria"o l.=nr*,EXPENDTT,RE |
23,560 | |||
| (571) | luaringlvtusic | (624) | |||
| (1,406) | luireofreheansal room | (e20) | |||
| (7,330) | lruusicat Director | (8,142) | |||
| (e0) | lRccompanist | (205) | |||
| (300) | lw"o=itt | (348) | |||
| (55) | leorin | (22) | |||
| (200) | lproti.itv | (282) | |||
| (206) | lBankCharges | (476) | |||
| (3,9e5) | lEYc: unresfiaeo | (3,770) | |||
| leYc,R*tria"o | |||||
| (14,153) | (14?89) | ||||
| I | |||||
| 1,320 | I rorAL |
8,771 | |||
| lilEr | |||||
| CONCERT PROFITABIUTY | |||||
| 2,208 | Previous year | lncome | |||
| (170) | Expenditure | ||||
| 2,038 | |||||
| 4,857 | Aufumn concert | lncorne | 3,2M | ||
| (5,347) | Expenditure | (2,688) | |||
| (4e0) | |||||
| 3,743 | Christnasconcert | lncome | 3,169 | ||
| (2,892) | Expanditure | (2,321| | |||
| 851 | |||||
| 9,702 | Eastercon@rt | lncome | 10,426 | ||
| (11,511) | Expenditure | (e,382) | |||
| (1,809) | 1,044 | ||||
| 2,5U | Summer concert | lncome | 3,s89 | ||
| (1,e76) | Expenditure | (2,084) | |||
| 1,505 | |||||
| Nextyea/s concerb | lncome | - | |||
| (410) | (410) | Expenditure | (120)_ | (120) | |
| NETTOTAL | 3,793 | ||||
| OTHERACTIVITIES | |||||
| 1,084 | Musichireandsales | lncome | 1,482 | ||
| (1,510) | Erpenditure | (1,411)_ | |||
| 102 | (426) | Folders | ln@me | ,125 | 71 |
| (70) | Expenditure | (158) | |||
| (33) | |||||
| (3S4) | |||||
| {,664 | 12,802 |
| ELY CHORAL SOCIETY | ELY CHORAL SOCIETY | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INCOMEANDEXPENDITUREACCOUNTfortheyearended: | |||||
| € 31August |
20i14 | l.=r.rNcoitE | 31Augu.st 2025 f,€ |
||
| 14,553 | lsro""rlption. | 17,022 | |||
| :* | lrrienos lGifrAid |
757 5,424 |
|||
| lDonations | |||||
| 't90 | Itnterest received | 297 | |||
| IEYC: unrestricted | 60 | ||||
| 15,473 | levc,notria"o l.=nr*,EXPENDTT,RE |
23,560 | |||
| (571) | luaringlvtusic | (624) | |||
| (1,406) | luireofreheansal room | (e20) | |||
| (7,330) | lruusicat Director | (8,142) | |||
| (e0) | lRccompanist | (205) | |||
| (300) | lw"o=itt | (348) | |||
| (55) | leorin | (22) | |||
| (200) | lproti.itv | (282) | |||
| (206) | lBankCharges | (476) | |||
| (3,9e5) | lEYc: unresfiaeo | (3,770) | |||
| leYc,R*tria"o | |||||
| (14,153) | (14?89) | ||||
| I | |||||
| 1,320 | I rorAL |
8,771 | |||
| lilEr | |||||
| CONCERT PROFITABIUTY | |||||
| 2,208 | Previous year | lncome | |||
| (170) | Expenditure | ||||
| 2,038 | |||||
| 4,857 | Aufumn concert | lncorne | 3,2M | ||
| (5,347) | Expenditure | (2,688) | |||
| (4e0) | |||||
| 3,743 | Christnasconcert | lncome | 3,169 | ||
| (2,892) | Expanditure | (2,321| | |||
| 851 | |||||
| 9,702 | Eastercon@rt | lncome | 10,426 | ||
| (11,511) | Expenditure | (e,382) | |||
| (1,809) | 1,044 | ||||
| 2,5U | Summer concert | lncome | 3,s89 | ||
| (1,e76) | Expenditure | (2,084) | |||
| 1,505 | |||||
| Nextyea/s concerb | lncome | - | |||
| (410) | (410) | Expenditure | (120)_ | (120) | |
| NETTOTAL | 3,793 | ||||
| OTHERACTIVITIES | |||||
| 1,084 | Musichireandsales | lncome | 1,482 | ||
| (1,510) | Erpenditure | (1,411)_ | |||
| 102 | (426) | Folders | ln@me | ,125 | 71 |
| (70) | Expenditure | (158) | |||
| (33) | |||||
| (3S4) | |||||
| {,664 | 12,802 |